Most people use e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking

18 February 2016
By ONS Digital

More than half of people who use e-cigarettes say they turned to vaping to help them stop smoking cigarettes.

The latest ONS survey of Adult Smoking Habits in Great Britain 2014 revealed that 53% of the 2.2 million vapers relied on the product to try to quit their nicotine addiction.

Source: Adult Smoking Habits in Great Britain 2014

The data, which forms part of the results of the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, revealed that in Great Britain, an estimated 6.1 million people were current or former users of e-cigarettes; 2.2 million were current users and 3.9 million were former users.

Of the current users, 59% said they also used cigarettes.

Source: Adult Smoking Habits in Great Britain 2014

E-cigarettes first came onto the market in the UK in 2007, according to a report commissioned by Public Health England.

The survey showed that in 2014, two thirds (67%) used an e-cigarette on a daily basis; a further 19% use one at least once a week.

Source: Adult Smoking Habits in Great Britain 2014

Since e-cigarettes first came onto the market in the UK, much has been written, from both sides of the debate, about their effectiveness in helping people to give up smoking and risks to the health of those who used them.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for tighter controls on e-cigarettes because of the current lack of scientific evidence.

However, more than one in five (22%) who responded to the Adult Smoking Habits Survey 2014 said they vaped because they felt e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes.

Source: Adult Smoking Habits in Great Britain 2014

The survey also recorded that 76% of all current and ex e-cig users felt exposure to vapour on non-users had no impact all compared with only 54% of non-smokers.

On the flip side, 20% of all current and ex e-cig users felt exposure to vapour was damaging to others, compared with 41% of those who have never smoked or vaped.